God is Faithful--Dec. 2022

Dear Friends of CHMM,

I hope that this letter finds you and your families enjoying the holiday season. If you are like me, you haven't even had a minute to look at emails until now, so I'm hoping you'll read this one : )

Thank you for your prayers and support. God continues to work in Caneille even though we haven't been able to travel there. Because of the money that we've raised through fundraisers and donations, the people who are most needy are being provided food. The oxen and plow that we purchased will begin to prepare the fields for planting in March!

We participated in a Christmas Boutique early in December, selling all kinds of hand made items that were donated by some very crafty ladies. We will be sending this money and some other donations to purchase seeds. Pastor Bastia says that they will plant beans, potatoes, plantains, and horn seeds (?).

Praise God! 200 goats are being purchased by Pastor Bastia's supporters to give to all the families in the church! This will provide milk, meat and eventually more goats to sell. God is good, all the time, even in the midst of the ongoing oppression in Haiti. Caneille was once a very dark and hopeless place, but now they have hope because of Jesus and having their basic needs met.

Speaking of basic needs, we will continue to wait for God to open the door for us to take a medical team to Caneille again. Please pray that God would give us wisdom as we look for another way to provide medical care for the people there. HE is able to do far above and beyond all that we imagine.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord."

Lamentations 3:25-26

As you think about your year-end giving, I hope you will remember Haiti and their many needs. As always, 100% of your gifts are used to provide for the people of Caneille, because this mission is made up of 100% volunteers.

May God continue to bless you and your families.

In His service, Julie Gibbs, RN

Answered Prayers!--Nov. 2022

Dear Friends of CHMM,

THANK YOU for your prayers and support during this terribly difficult time in Haiti. God is answering the prayers of so many in Haiti and the U.S.! I had asked Pastor Bastia to have his people pray for the Yard Sale we were having to raise money for food. Well HE heard! It is rare when a Yard Sale brings in over $1,000, but this fundraiser brought in $3,200!! Not only did we receive an enormous amount of good donations to sell, we had plenty of happy helpers who spread the love of Jesus to all who came! And thank God for all the men who came to haul away the leftovers!

In addition to the Yard Sale, many people heard about the need for food and sent donations totaling $3,900! I was able to wire Pastor Bastia $7,100 this past Tuesday. Praise God!

Introducing our 1st ox! Pastor Bastia has come up with a 2 year plan to help his people become self sustaining. His 1st project is to buy pairs of oxen to plow the fields of the people in the Caneille area. This way they will have better success in growing their gardens and not be so dependent on purchasing food. $2,500 of the money that we sent this week will be used to buy 2 oxen, their harness, and a plow. We are pretty excited to see what a harvest this will bring! The remaining $4,600 will be spent to buy rice, beans, and oil.

The 2nd project will be to buy goats to breed and to share among the church families for milk and meat. Let me know if you are interested in knowing more about these projects.

God is good, all the time. Even in the midst of chaos and anarchy, He is hearing the cries of His people. Sadly, I don't think we will be able to go to Caneille in January. Pray with me as I work with Bastia to find another way to bring medical care to the people there.

Because the ports have been taken over by gangs, the people are unable to buy gas because it is not available and too expensive. Many hospitals have closed because they can't run their generators to provide electricity for lights and equipment. The schools in Haiti are also closed because the teachers don't have transportation to get to school. The children are having an unwanted vacation. Most kids there want to get an education because they know that is their only hope of getting out of poverty. Whenever we are praying with our patients during clinic, their number one request is that their children will do well in school. Please pray for an end to this blockade and that the right leaders would have the power to help the people.

We have had to place our next project in Caneille to landscape the property around the clinic building is on hold. The escalation in prices has driven the cost up to almost double what it was. We will wait on the Lord. Right now their biggest needs are food and medicine.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord."

Lamentations 3:25-26

May God continue to bless you and your families.

In His service, Julie Gibbs, RN

Civil War Erupts in Haiti--Sept. 2022

Dear Friends & Supporters,

Just when you think that life in Haiti can’t possibly get worse, the rule of law has been completely discarded. As the people struggle to survive 30% inflation, with the cost of rice up 40% and flour 68%, the government announced an increase in fuel prices. Haitians took to the streets in widespread protests around the country. Some are capitalizing politically on the discontent with the current government and are calling on protesters to attack banking institutions. (Miami Herald, 9/16/22)

We thank God that He closed the door to the trip we were beginning to plan for Sept. 23rd. He knows all things, praise Him! Currently there is a level 4 Travel advisory for Haiti, urging people not to go. Very few airlines travel to Haiti now and even the missionary flights were cancelled this week. Pastor Bastia was in the U.S. visiting supporting churches in Wisconsin when things fell apart and he couldn’t get home. His flight with MFI arrived safely today in Piñon but there are multiple roadblocks between there and Hinche where his family lives. Pray that he will be safely reunited with his family soon. Please pray for the church as they weather this terrible storm that has ignited the entire country. We are watching things closely and will keep you updated. Meanwhile, please pray for a good solution to this chaos and for a fair and safe election process to be put in place.

We will be having a fundraising yard sale Oct. 21 & 22 to raise money for the needs of the people in Caneille. See attached flier. If you are local, you can clean out your closets and garage and bring over your lightly used items. We are also looking for volunteers to help.

Our next project in Caneille is to landscape the property to allow the water to drain away from the clinic building. When heavy rains fall the soil is being washed away. We have hired an engineer, and his estimate is $22,000 to landscape the entire property. Please pray about this need and give if you are able. If you would like more information, please let me know.

"Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:14

Please pray about God's plan for our next medical trip to Caneille, tentatively January 6-16, 2023. Contact me if you are interested in joining the team so that I can keep you informed. We know He will make a way as we pray and wait.

May God continue to bless you as we enjoy all the freedoms we have in America. Thank you for your prayers and support of this mission.

In His service, Julie Gibbs, RN